Western Union fine-tunes its message - advertising supplement - On Cable

Brandweek, April 13, 1998

Promotionally-speaking, the Money Transfer Division of Western Union has a very special mission: "We continually remind consumers that when they need to send money quickly, Western Union is always there," explains Kevin Carroll, vice president of Domestic Money Transfer.

Research shows customers frequently rely on Western Union to send funds to their families or to receive emergency cash for themselves.

Cable has proven highly effective at targeting these consumers, says Elissa Goldman, executive vice president and director of broadcast buying for Lowe & Partners/SMS. The company has been using cable networks as part of its TV advertising mix, which also includes broadcast network and syndication, for several years.

Last fall, it took some incremental funds and added a schedule on the Prevue Channel. Agency research shows that Western Union's target audience tunes frequently to Prevue, so Lowe & Partners worked with the network to create a series of 60-second pods that would both mention Western Union and spotlight key programming.

Shown hundreds times during a three-week, fourth quarter 1997 campaign, the spots "allowed us to drive our audience to shows where we advertised," Goldman explains. The spots also permitted Western Union to "capture our target's attention in a unique way," Carroll added.

The format created for Prevue opens with a five-second Western Union billboard, followed by a 20-second program promotion, such as a short take from In Living Color or another Western Union-sponsored show. Next comes a 30-second Western Union Money Transfer ad, and then the pod wraps up with a five-second billboard closer. "We were the sole advertiser in that time frame," Goldman says, "so it isolated our message."

The Prevue Channel assembled the pods, which spotlight programming on a dozen different cable networks. "These spots are a great way to capture the attention of viewers who'd prefer to navigate through a comprehensive program listing instead of just randomly channel surfing," explains Robert Melds, account executive at The Prevue Channel, which reaches 50 million homes.

Western Unions TV budget includes cable as a strategic tool to deliver creative messages--with high impact--to an elusive audience, Goldman says. "We know who the prime users of Western Union Money Transfer services are, and cable allows us to target our messages directly to them."

For its cable buys, Western Union focuses on two programming categories--entertainment and sports, with extensive added-value elements to enhance their presence.

In the entertainment category, BET exemplifies Goldman's determination to "use cable networks not just to ensure reach, but to aggressively add value to our advertising's impact." The company sponsored special programming in conjunction with Black History Month. During third quarter, it will Pun four One-to-Watch segments on BET's music show, Planet Groove.

Western Union also bought time on fX, which created an In Living Color marathon for the advertiser.

A wide mix of traditional sports have also carried Western Union messages. "Basketball, boxing and baseball did best," Goldman says.

On ESPN, Western Union has bought boxing, baseball and Sports Center. On TBS, it has bought Braves baseball and on Fox, we sponsored national pre-game shows that aired prior to live local events."

In keeping with its tagline, "the fastest way to send money worldwide," Western Union seeks out speed- and/or time-related sponsorships. On TNN, Lowe negotiated to have Western Union on display on the championship time clock The advertiser also promoted the "fastest cash lap" on TNN's Motor Mania and on USA, it purchased boxing matches and sponsored segments comparing each boxer's "fastest knockout statistics."

Western Union is in the process of reevaluating its strategy for the upcoming year, but Goldman said she would consider using Prevue Channel again. "There was a real synergy there," she notes. "It offered an environment that let us direct our message precisely to the niche audience we seek to reach."